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This episode, Dr. Whitney talks about all the things that are constantly pulling on working moms and how to make decisions when everything seems to need attention.

Key takeaways:

At Modern Mommy Doc, we talk a lot about the difference between your centered points in your centered vision (the things that matter most to you and want to be spending most of your time and energy on) and all the stuff in life that has to get done but shouldn’t define you. We call them non-negotiables, swappables, heart strings, and contaminators. People can usually define those things that matter the most pretty easily, but can’t figure out how to prioritize them when other things are needing attention – when your kids, your job, and your own personal desires are all “needing you” at the same time.

The first thing I do when that happens is get quiet. Spending even 5 minutes to get out of my head by writing and journaling through my feelings or doing something physical like yoga or a bike ride. This helps me to deactivate the flight or fight instinct, so I can calm my brain. So I listen to myself more clearly.

The second thing I do is look at my calendar for the immediate future to see if there’s something that’s on my plate that could wait. If there’s something there that’s taking the place of something more important. Then I do the same thing a little further out down the road. Is this a pattern? Can I prevent this same thing from happening by being proactive with my time and boundaries? What can I remove? This requires a deep understanding of your boundaries and what you need.

Think of staying on your centered points like one of those bosu balls with the balance board on top that you have to balance on. There’s no way you could stay exactly in the center. But you have to be very aware of your core and where it’s telling you to lean. It’s not going to help you if you make big moves one way or the other, but it’s more beneficial when you make micro movements that keep you balanced. Same with your priorities. It’s not going to do any good if you lean so hard into your career that your kids feel abandoned and then have to swing back so hard with your kids to correct that then your job suffers. And you have no time for yourself. If you can just make those micro movements over time, you’re able to balance rather than sacrificing one over the other.

Hey mama!

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